spark*activation Advocacy Track: Wildfires

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To [representative], 

cc/ Min Tim HodgsonThe recent Kananaskis Wildfire Charter  recognizes not only the importance of sustainable forest management as a tool to reduce wildfire risk, but also the need to better understand local conditions and prioritize community-based solutions.  Quite simply, fires will get worse if we are not more proactive in managing fuel loads and our aging forests.   I am writing to express my concern that over 3.7 million hectares have already burned in Canada this year, putting us on pace for our second worst fire season on record.   These wildfires are no longer rare disasters; they are the new norm. We cannot simply keep fighting bigger flames—we must get ahead of them. Proven forest-management tools such as targeted thinning, cultural and prescribed burns, and the removal of dead and dying wood can dramatically lower fire intensity, give firefighters safer conditions, and protect nearby homes. Yet federal policies and funding have not kept pace with the threat. There are sensible, science-based actions the federal government can and should consider that enjoy broad support across Canada’s forest dependent communities, including: 1. Investing in Risk Mapping and Protect People. Scale up federal investments that help local communities assess local fire risks, to execute on-the-ground fuel-reduction projects on a priority basis.   2. Fix Ottawa’s Outdated Policy and Regulatory Approaches. Fires move much faster than the federal government’s policy and regulatory approaches do. Provincially approved forest management plans consider dynamic local realities and community values. The federal government must work more collaboratively with the provinces and local communities and introduce a ‘wildfire lens’ to any on the ground interventions so priority harvests, fire breaks, and fuel reductions are not delayed.    3. Back Indigenous-led Fire Stewardship. Provide ongoing funding to support Indigenous cultural burning and prescribed fire. Ensure emergency preparedness and wildfire training programs are co-developed with Indigenous Peoples to better support communities. 4. Create Value from Low-Grade Wood. Accelerate Canada’s forest bioeconomy so low-grade wood, fire-damaged trees, and slash piles can be turned into clean heat, electricity, and bioproducts instead of being fuel for the next fire — supporting rural and northern jobs, reducing fire risks, and cutting carbon emissions at the same time. Approving Investment Tax Credits for biomass use for heat and electricity generation can help incentivize private sector investment to get more of this work done. Please add your voice to those calling for urgent wildfire-prevention funding and policy reform, and work with Canada’s forest sector to deliver these solutions. Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue. I look forward to seeing your commitment to proactive wildfire action.

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